Electoral College Basics
– History, Math and Guessing
The Electoral College isn’t a school. It’s an election system.
Our Constitution was written in 1789, when communication was horseback-slow, so the Electoral College was created as a “simpler, faster” way to elect the President and Vice President.
The federal government doesn’t conduct elections. Instead, states do it, and then report their federal results to the Electoral College, which casts the final vote.
Should states get equal votes, or should states vote by population? In 1789, it was decided that both answers were right, and based votes on Congress membership.
Every state gets 2 votes because it has 2 Senators, or 100 votes for 50 equal states.
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Every state also gets as many votes as it has House members, so that’s 435 more, based on population.
In 1961, the 23rd Amendment gave the District of Columbia 3 votes, making the total Electoral College 538 votes. California has the most votes, with 54, while several small states have the minimum of 3.
Winners of the Electoral College must get a majority of those 538 votes, which is 270 or more. In the unlikely event of a 269 to 269 tie, the House of Representatives votes to break the tie.
Some states are predictable, but others can “swing” an entire election. Campaigns try hardest in those states. The 2024 election “swing states” are AZ, GA, MI, NC, NV, PA, WI and maybe even TX.
Do you think you know how the election will turn out?
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